intreats for a pacification that those of her sex being with childe might not bee affrighted the péeces and pistols continually discharged sent in all haste to the Duke her husband with much entreaties to cease this persecution for frighting women with childe During this slaughter the Cardinall of Guise remained before the Church of the said Citie of Vassi leaning upon the wals of the church-yard looking towards the place where his followers were busied in killing and slaying whom they could Many of this assembly being thus hotely pursued did in the first brunt save themselves upon the roofe of the house not being discerned of those which stood without but at length some of this bloody crue espying where they lay hid shot at them with long pieces wherewith many of them were hurt and slain The houshold servants A lamentable spectacle of Dessalles Prior of Vassi shooting at the roofe people caused them to fall downe from the roofe like pigeons one of that wretched company was not ashamed to boast after the massacre was ended That he for his part had caused sixe at the least to tumble downe in that pittifull plight saying that if others had done the like not many of them could possibly have escaped The Minister in the beginning of the massacre ceased not to preach still till one discharged his piece against the pulpit where he stood after which falling downe upon his knées he entreated the Lord not onely to have mercy upon himselfe but also upon his poore persecuted floke Having ended his prayer he left his gowne behinde him thinking thereby to kéepe himselfe as unknown bâ—t whilest he approached towards the dore in his fear he stumbled upon a dead body where he received a blow with a sword upon his right shoulder Getting up againe and then thinking to get forth he was immediately laid hold on and grievously hurt on the head with a sword whereupon being felled to the ground and féeling himselfe mortally wounded he cryed Lord into thy hand I Psal 31. 5. commend my spirit for thou hast redeemed me thou God of truth Whilest he thus prayed one of this bloody crue ran upon him to have houghed him but it pleased God his sword brake in the hilts Now to let you understand by what meanes he was delivered from so imminent a death two gentlemen taking knowledge of him as the rest were about to kill him said it is the Minister let him be conveyed to my Lord Duke These leading him away by both the armes brought him before the gate of the Monastery from whence the Duke and the Cardinall his brother comming forth said come hither and asked him saying Art thou the Minister of this place who made thée so bold to seduce this people thus Sir said the Minister I am no seducer for I have preached to them the Gospell of Iesus Christ The Duke perceiving that this short and pithy answer condemned his cruell fact began to curse and sweare saying Death of God doth the Gospell preach sedition Provost goe and let a Gibbet be set up and hang this bougrer At which words the Minister was delivered into the hands of two Pages who misused him vilely The women of the City being ignorant Papists caught up dirt to throw in his face and with extended outcries said Kill him kill this varlet who hath béen the cause of the slaughter of so many Much adoe there was to hold off the women from being revenged upon the poore Minister Whilst the Pages had him thus in their handling the Duke went into the barn to whom they presented a great Bible which they used for the service of God The Duke taking it into his hands calling his brother the Cardinall said Loe here the Title of the Huguenot books The Cardinall viewing it sayd There is nothing but good in this book for it is the Bible to wit the holy Scriptures The Duke being offended for that his answer suited not to his humor grew into a greater rage than before saying Blood of God how now what the holy Scripture It is a thousand and five hundred yéerey agoe since Iesus Christ suffered his death and passion and it is but a yéere since these bookes were imprinted how then say you that this is the Gospell by the death of God you say you know not what This imbridled fury of the Duke displeased the Cardinall so as he was heard secretly to mutter An unworthy Brother This Massacre continued a full houre the Dukes trumpeters sounding the whilst two severall times When any of these desired to have mercy shewed them for the love of Iesus Christ the murtherers in scorne would say unto them you use the name of Christ but where is your Christ now become And when they said Lord God they blasphemingly would A grievous scorne say Lord devill There dyed in this Massacre within a few daies fifty or thréescore persons besides these there were about two hundred and fifty others as well men as women who were wounded and spoiled Anno 1563. whereof some died some were maimed losing some a leg some an arme some their fingers cut off from their hands and caried away The poores The poores mony violently taken away and never after restored box which was fastned to the doore of the Church with two Iron hookes was wrested thence with twelve pounds therein and never restored again Nothing was to be séene in the stréets but Women with their haire hanging about their eares faces besmeared with blood being wounded in many places with swords and daggers with wéepings and lamentations Barbers and Chirurgians were so set on worke that he which had least had thréescore under his hand to be dressed and many perished for want thereof The Minister was kept close prisoner so as for foure and twenty houres none were permitted to supply him with any necessaries at all nor any suffered to sée him or speake with him and was oft threatned by his kéepers to be sowed up in a sack and drowned Faine would they have drawn him to have kept his Easter after the Popish guise under faire premises of his inlargement but he would by no means consent thereto Thus continued he prisoner untill the eight day of May 1563. at which time he was set frée by the suit of the most illustrious prince of Portion Whilest the Duke was at Esclairon the Lackeys and others of their sort put to sale unto such as would give most cloaks hats girdles Coifes Kerchiefes with other things which they had spoiled the massacred of Crying them with a loud voyce as if a common cryer had cryed houshold stuffe to be sold A memorable deliverance ONe called Iohn of the Gardens having lived a long time with his wife and childe in regard of the present troubles abroad in the fields nigh to a City called Seulis in France at length determining to goe backe againe into the Citie casting himselfe and his upon the providence of God were
from it and to cleave wholly to the Doctrine of the Gospell Then leaving them he went into another roome and called for a brush to brush his hat and cloake causing his shooes to be blacked For now said he I am bidden to the mariage of the Lambe where I am to feast with him for ever and ever Going thence some of the prisoners came to him and finding him sitting in the entry of the prison upon a bench with bread and wine set before him which was brought him for his breakefast they asked him if he went to suffer with those shackles on his héeles I would I might said hée yea and that they would bury them with mee to that they might manifest the inhumanity of my adversaries And as those brethren comforted him he replyed that he felt such joy of the holy Ghost in his heart that he could neither with mouth nor tongue expresse it adding That God shewed him a thousand times more favour to take him after this manner out of this transitory life than if he had let him die in his bed by sicknesse for now saith he I shall dye with enjoying the benefit of all the powers of my soule praying the Lord to have mercy upon me Then every one taking his leave of him they retyred and forthwith Guy and La Grange were led to the towne hall to receive the sentence of death namely to be hanged for transgressing the Kings commandement given at the Court of Bruxels And so not medling at all with any of the points of Doctrine which they had preached they especially insisted upon the administration of the Lords Supper against an expresse charge given them to the contrary To be short La Grange being brought to the place of execution and now upon the ladder hée protested with a loud voice notwithstanding the noise which the soldiers kept about the gibbe◠that he died onely for preaching to the people the pure truth of God taking heaven and earth to witnesse the same with him Then was Master Guy brought thither who knéeling downe to have made his prayer at the foot of the ladder was not suffered to make an end for lifting him up they made him by and by to ascend the ladder Being thereon he fastned his féet in the rundles exhorting the people to carry themselves with all due respect towards the Magistrates shewing how some had overshot themselves in that behalfe Then Master Guy exhorted them to stand stedfast in the doctrine which he had taught them avouching that it was the undoubted truth of God He could not finish his spéech fully because the Commissioners gave a signe to the Executiooner to hasten and make an end He was no sooner turned off the ladder but there fell out such a tumult among the souldiers being in armes in the market place that they ran up and downe the City shooting off their pieces against such as they met shooting off their pieces against such as they met as well Papists as others yea killing one another in a grievous manner so as some fell downe dead among many others that were wounded and hurt And thus were they smitten with great feare without any ground thereof at all ¶ Notes touching the estate of the Faithfull in the City of Venice and of some executed there for the Truth in the yeare 1566. IT pleased God for a long space to frée this noble City from being subjected to the cruell Inquisition of the Pope by reason whereof the face of a Church was to be discerned there from the yeare 1530 to the yeare 1542. They enjoyed such fréedome of conferring and scanning of the points of Religion there that they came in a manner to make profession thereof publiquely so as many strange nations came to take notice thereof But the Father of lies observing this began to bestirre himselfe by setting his Lieutenant on worke who hath his seat at Rome to disturbe these good beginnings for it came to passe that whilst multitudes of good Christians flocked thither from other parts in processe of time such a course was taken by Antichrists supporters that many of them were imprisoned and afterward sent thence to Rome The rest by a new found execution never till then heard of were cast into the sea and drowned in the bottome of the same The manner of it was thus After they had received sentence an yron chaine was fastened about their middle with a stone of great weight tyed thereto and then were they laid upon a planke betwéene two wherries which being come to the place appointed the wherries parting asunder the Martyrs were forthwith drowned Yet for all this many ceased not still to assemble together in a place appointed for that purpose to talke and discourse of heavenly matters yea and to make some collections for reliefe of the poore so as in the yeare 1566 the called to them a minister of the Gospell to establish constitute a church among them having also the Supper of the Lord administred to them But some false brethren créeping in under pretence of making the same profession with them betrayed them Then began the Popish Inquisition to be erected there with the greatest cruelty that might be towards the maintenance whereof the Pope sent every yeare a certaine summe of money to those holy Fathers to be distributed among such as were appointed to be spies and revealers of such secrets as they could come to the knowledge of Thus were many cast into the sea and drowned some were sent to Rome others were detained Anno 1567. so long in prisons which were like graves that they rotted there ¶ Master Anthony Ricetto Martyr AMongst others who were condemned to bée drowned there was one Master Anthony Ricetto of Vincence having a sonne about twelve yeares old who comming to visit his father according to the discretion of children besought him with teares to yéeld to those who had condemned him and to save his life that he might not be left fatherlesse A true Christian said his father is bound to forgoe goods children yea and life it selfe for the maintenance of Gods honor and glory For which cause he was now ready and resolved to lay it downe the Lord assisting him The Lords of Venice offered to restore unto him his patrimony which was partly morgaged and sold if he would submit himselfe to the Church of Rome But he refused whatsoever conditions they this way tendred unto him Some that wer prisoners with him namely one M. Iulius Ferlan hath reported much of the abstinence patience and holinesse of this excellent man so farre as to parallel him to another Iohn Baptist On the fiftéenth day of Fegruary 1565. which according to our computation is 1566. Captain Clairmont came unto him and told him that Francis Sega was resolved to recant To which Ricetto * This Sega was his fellow prisoner of whom see more hereafter by and by replyed What tell you me of Sega I will
Iames the Quéen the Prince and all the royall branches with the nobility clergy and commons of this realme assembled together at this present in Parliament by popish treachery appointed as shéep to the slaughter and that in most barbarous and savage maner no age yéelding example of the like cruelty intended towards the Lords annointed and his people Can this thy goodnesse O Lord be forgotten worthy to be written in a pillar of Marble that we may ever remember to praise thée for the same as the fact is worthy a lasting monument that all posterify may learn to detest it From this unnaturall conspiracy not our merit but thy mercy not our foresight but thy providence hath delivered us not our love to thée but thy love to thine annointed servant and thy poore Church with whom thou hast promised to be present to the end of the world And therefore not unto us not unto us Lord but to thy name be ascribed all honor and glory in all Churches of the saints throughout all generations for thou Lord hast discovered the snares of death Thou hast broken them and we are delivered Be thou still our mighty protector and scatter our cruell enemies which delight in blood infatuate their counsell and roote out that Babilonish and Antichristian sect which say with Ierusalem Downe with it downe with it even to the ground And to that end strengthen the hands of our gracious King the Nobles and Magistrates of the land with judgement and iustice to cut off these workers of iniquity whose religion is rebellion whose faith is faction whose practise is murthering of soules and bodies and for oof them out of the confines and limits of this kingdome that they may never prevatle against us and triumph in the ruine of thy Church and give us grace by true and serious repentance to avert these and the like judgements from us This Lord we earnestly crave at thy mercifull hands together with the continuance of thy powerfull protection over our dread Soveraign the whole Church and these Realms and the spéedy confusion of our implacable enemies and that for thy deare Sons sake our only Mediatour and Advocate Amen ¶ Franco di Franco an Italian made away in secret in the City of Vilne IN the yeare 1611. on the day which the papists call the feast of God a young man of six and twenty yeares old being miraculously called unto the knowledge of the Gospel was by certain Italians led through a Church where masse was to be sung and being urged to shew how he liked it began to refuse their Idolatry with great zeale admonishing the people there present not to suffer themselves to be so seduced by the pompous splendor of such vaine superstitions Telling them That that God which the Priest held up was no God as those seducers made them beleeve but a méere Idoll séeing it was not able to remove it selfe from one place to another unlesse it were borne Iesus Christ the Son of God â—ir Saviour is to be sought saith he at the right hand of God the Father Almighty This yong man was forth with compassed about with an innumerable company of people who buffeting him often on the face and spurning him with their féete haled him thence into the common Gadle of the City After many daies the Bishop with sundry other Lords calling him before them asked him if the heretiques had not perswaded him to use such words as he had spoken also whether he had not a resolution to kill the Quéene or her son the King or the Bishop of Vilne The prisoner wisely and resolutely answered That no man had set him aworke to doe it but only the zeale he had of Gods glory his conscience provoking him thereto holding it impossible for him any longer so suffer that men should attribute that honour to a dead Idoll which is only due to Iesus Christ his Saviour As touching their other demand his answere was that Christian Religion teacheth us not to murther men as Papists have hitâ—erto done in France England in the Low-Countries and elsewhere as histories doe daily shew The prisoner also admonished the Biship of Vilne to forsake all Idolatry to preach Gods truth and verity and cease to be witch the poore people with humane inventions moreover this faithfull witnesse did with much vehemency and constancy maintaine the truth of God that the Bishop of Vilne droâ—e out of his Hall his servants and such as came in there to heare him But he â—oot little by it for as they went here and there in the City they thid it abroad how in all their lives they never heard man speake with that courage and boldnesse of divine things to so good purpose as this young man had done Not long after he was againe brought before the same Iudges and questioned as before but in stead of yéelding he â—ardened his face against the impudency of his adversaries They purposing to quaile this magnaâ—unity caused him to féele the forture When he had suffered the utmost of their cruelty he was so far off from abjuring the truth that on the contrary his confession discovered in him a greater resolution then ever before being desirous and shewing himselfe ready prest to receive the Crowne of Martyrdome To be short the last of Iune 1611. which was the same day twelve-month 1610. where in the City of Vilne being the capitall City of the great Duchesse of Lithuany at eight of the clock in the morning there happened as terrible a fire as hath béen heard of at the houre in which the said Bishops and a great company of Iesuâ—â—es there going on procession the fire was so vehement that within the space of seven houres it deboured â—â—re thousand 〈◊〉 hundred and 〈◊〉 houses which tell out as the Iesuites supposed because they spared the Hereâ—â—ues there Where upon the 〈◊〉 of Christ was cruelly butchered there by the enemies of the Gospell not in a publike place â—or by day though he instantly requested the same at the 〈◊〉 of his Iudges but privatly in the night hi apeare walled about nigh to the Governours house Before they put him to death he was â—ruelly torâ—â—ned and then bound by the executioner to a post where they drew out his tongue under his chinne which done cutting off Anno 1595 his head his body being divided into foure quarters was carried the next day through the City upon so many poles ¶ An history of three Englishmen put to death at Rome THrée English men méeting together entered into a conference concerning the state of the Church at that time complaining that the zeale of Gods glory was wonderfully cooled among men yea and that even those of the religion were growne but too worldly wise that satan by little was sowing the séeds of Atheisme every where by rocking men asléep in the cradle of security whereupon having in humble manner commended themselves into the hands of God they determined to take their voyage
out his hand to receive you unto him Are you are you willing to goe unto him Yes I assure you saith she most willing and much more willing than to linger here below in this world where I see nothing but vanity The minister not willing to continue longer in this kinde of discourse asked if she were pleased that they should goe to prayer declaring that godly personages there present would willingly joyne their desires with hers To which she consenting the said Minister prayed by her a good space whilest this pious Lady manifested her ardent affection to call upon God When prayer was ended the Minister discerning in her the undoubted testimonies of her repentance and of the sorrow she conceived for the offences which she had committed against God together with the assured confidence which shée had in his mercies as a Minister of the Gospell amd Embassadour of the Son of God by the authority dispensed to him having committed to him the word of reconciliation he assured her in his name that all her sins were forgiven her of 1 Cor. 5. God and that they should never come into account before his judgement Seat yea that she should no more dount thereof then if the Sonne of God from heaven should say unto her Daughter thy sins are forgiven thee And to the end that troubled consciences might the better be quieted Christ hath used these words speaking to his Ministers saying Whose soever sins ye remit they are remitted Mat. 16. 14. and whose sins ye unloose they are unloosed The reason is because the word which they pronounce is not the word of a mortall man but of the immortall God being of no lesse weight than if himselfe uttered the same Then he asked of her Majesty if he accepted of so gracious a Message which assured her of the frée pardon of all her sins Yea I doe saith shee and make no doubt thereof Not long after these exhortations the Admirall comming in and with him another Minister shée also gave care to him for a good space together whose discourse tended to prepare her for death as he had done who had spoken to her immediatly before who having finished his spéech prayed also with her and for her which she heard with great attention and affection Then she requested that these two ministers might stay with her all night in her Chamber and that they would in no wise leave her The greater part of this night was spent in holy admonitions which these two ministers gave to this gracious Lady and Princesse one after another Besides these admonitions she commanding that some Chapters of the holy Scripture which were pertinent for her condition should be read unto her one of the Ministers read in her hearing certaine Chapters out of the Gospell of Saint Iohn namely from the fouretéenth to the seventéenth After he had read to her these Chapters he went to prayer which being ended the Quéene desired to take some rest but it was not long ere she commanded them to reade again whereupon the other Minister having made choise of certaine Psalmes of David full of ardent and affectionate prayers suiting to this Princesses present affliction he read them unto her and for a conclusion read the one and thirtieth Psalme Psal 31. 5. where the Prophet among other things doth there commend his spirit into the hands of God because saith he thou hast redéemed me O Lord God of truth The Quéene willed them to pray with her again and thus as I have said was the most part of the night spent in such vertuous exercises namely in exhortation in reading the holy Scripture and in prayer during all which time the ministers never discerned in any of her spéeches or behaviour the least impatiency Nay whereas some dayes before she fell sick she shewed how affectionately she was bent to provide things most magnificent for the day of her Sons marriage according as the State of so great an alliance required it was admirable to observe that after thâ—s sicknesse had seized upon her God wrought in her such aforgetfulnesse and neglect of all such matters that she never made shew of having so much as a thought thereof This night being thus passed and spent by this noble Queene she persevering in the expressions of like pious actions and ardency of Faith the next day in the morning betwéen eight and nine of the clocke she departed this life to take possession of a far better life swéetly yéelding up her spirit into the hands of God the ninth of Iune 1572. the sixth day after she fell sick in the 44. yeare of her age She had her perfect spéech alwaies even to the houre of her death shewing not only the stayednesse and soundnesse of her judgement which ever in times past she had in her care about the salvation of her soule but in her other worldly affaires also Now to avoide all jealousies and suspitions of her being wronged by poyson or otherwise in this matter of her so sudden sickenesse her body was opened by sundry expert and learned Doctors of Physick and Chirurgery with all exquisite diligence who found her heart and liver very sound and untouched her lungs only excepted which long before on the right side had béen very ill affected by reason of an extraordinary hardnesse which they had contracted and withall a great imposthume which so far as man could judge they concluded was the cause of her death But they had no command given them to open the braine and therefore finding somewhat out of frame in her body they delivered their opinions only concerning the same Thus you have with as much brevity as I could and as the merit of the thing required the true report of the manner of this vertuous Princesses sicknesse and death thus ar related unto you only my request is saith my Author that if any have a more perfect and particular knowledge of the excellent parts wherewith the Lord had adorned and beautified her they would not suffer the same to be buried in silence but to cause it to sée the light that on the one side it may serve as an example to posterity and on the other side that we may learne to blesse God for her piety and constancy ¶ An Introduction first into that which Anno 1572. leads to the death of the Admirall of France Then to the massacre at paris and so in some other Cities And first what moved the Admirall to come to Paris AFter the death of the Quéene certaine Princes were sollicited by the King to give their attendance at Paris for the folemnising the mariage of the Prince of Navarre now made king by the death of his mother according to the ceremonies which were thereto appertaining Among the rest letters were directed to the Admirall by the King himselfe to come to this marriage which were delivered unto him by Cavagues wherein the King assured him be would not tarry long after him Willing
towards his slaughter men he said on on goe in and to your worke but first he forgat not to demand the prisoners purses for his booty which when he pocketted up he gat him into a Gallery there to satisfie his hellish lust in taking a view of this rufull spectacle The murtherers hegan to fall upon the poore prisoners with such barbarous cruelty hacking and hewing them in so furious a manner that within lesse than an houre they were all cut in pieces not so much as one escaped their hands All these for the most part were massacred knéeling on their knées and lifting up their eies and hands to God for mercy whilst they had their hands and fingers cut off ¶ The death and martyrdome of Francis le Bossu a merchant together with his sons AMong all those who confessed rhe name of Iesus Christ and gave their lives for his truth a certaine Merchant of hats and caps called Francis le Bossu well deserves to be set in the fore ranke with his two sonnes for whilest he trampled in the bloud of his brethren being besmeared therewith and spiriting as it were in his face he encouraged his children to take their death willingly and patiently using this spéech Children we are not to learne now that it hath alwaies béen the portion of Beléevers to bee hated cruelly used and devoured by Vnbeléevers as Christs silly Shéep of ravening wolves if wee suffer with Christ we shall also reigne with him Let not these drawne swords terrifie us they will be but as a bridge whereby we shall passe over out of a miserable life into immortall blessednesse We have breathed and lived long enough among the wicked let us now goe and live with our God let us joyfully march after this great company which is here gon before us and let us make way for them that shall follow after When he saw the murtherers come he clasped his armes about his two sonnes and they likewise embraced their father as if the father meant to be a buckler to his children and the children as if by the bond of nature which binds them to defend his life from whence they received it they meant to ward off the blowes which were comming towards their father though with the losse of their owne lives who when the massacre was ended were all thrée found dead thus embracing one another Now after this furious assault these impudent creatures went up and downe the City shewing their white doublets all besprinkled with bloud boasting that some had killed an hundred some more some lesse Forthwith the great gates of the Archbishops house were set wide open for all commers of whom surely there was none were they of the devoutest Romanists but must néeds have their hearts wounded and pierced within them to sée so hideous a slaughter And indéed some of them were heard to say when they beheld The Papists abhorre their own cruelties this so inhumane and cruell an act That certainly they were not men but devils in the habit of men that had done this The next morning which was Munday the first of September the remainder of corpses which were not cast into the water were put into great boats which being rowed over to the other side of the river of Saon were all cast on shore there the corpses being also spread upon the ground nigh to the Abbey of Esnay like dung upon the earth The Monkes would at no hand yéeld to have them buried in their Churchyard estéeming them unworthy of buriall fearing also that so many put together would be a meanes to infect the aire and therefore gave them a signe to have them throwne into the river Now as the multitude were dragging them in thither an Apothecary came and informed them that money might be made of the grease that was taken out of their bodies Then were the most corpulent bodies presently sought out which when they had ripped up a great quantity of that commodity being gotten thence was sold by these Merchants for thrée shillings the pound And then not knowing how to wrecke their malice any further upon them after many derisions and scornes which the standers by but especially the Italians had done to these poore despised carkasses they were tumbled into a great pit and the rest thrown into the river Those of Daulphine of Languedoc and Provence were amased to sée so many bodies floating upon the water some dismembred others fastned together with long poles others lying on the shore some having their eies put out others their noses eares and hands cut off stabbed in with daggers in every part of their bodies so as some among them had no humane shape remaining Yea so great a number of these mangled corpses presented themselves on the port of Tournon that the men and women of the place began to make an outcry as if the enemies had bin at their gates Not many moneths after when all these bloudy Tragedies were ended the Pope sent a Legate to the King called Cardinall Vrsin This Legat was received with great solemnity at Lyons and the stréets hung with tapestry Now having heard masse at Saint Iohns Church and returning by the same dore which he went in at the greatest number of the massacrers attended his comming there and as he passed by they all knéeled downe for his absolution But the Legate not knowing the reason why they knéeled so before him one of the principall agents knéeling there amongst them told the Legat that they were those The massacrers absolved by the Popes Legat. who had béen the actors in the massacre When the â—legate perceived that to be the cause he absolved them all with making the signe of the Crosse ¶ Persecution at Angiers in France ¶ Master Iohn Mason a learned Minister together with his wife and some others Martyrs AS soone as the massacre was begun at Paris A Protestant minister murchered in his garden a Gentleman of Paris called Monsoreau obtained a Pasport with letters to massacre those of the Religion at Anglers Who being disappointed of his prey in one place came to the lodging of a reverend and learned Minister called Master Iohn Mason sirnamed de Launay Sieur of Riviere Méeting his wife at his entrance into the house he saluted her and kist her as it is the manner in France especially among the Courtiers and asked her where her husband was She answered him that he was walking in his garden and then directed him the way unto him Monsoreau having lovingly embraced La Riviere said unto him Doe you know wherefore I am come the King hath commanded me to kill you forthwith and hath given me expresse charge to doe it as you shall know by his letters After which words he shewed him a pistoll ready charged Riviere reylyed that hee knew not wherein he had offended the King but séeing saith he you séeke my life give me a little leave to cry to God for mercy and to recommend my spirit
both killed with one shot proceeding from powder and discouraged hereby from any further resistance in respect Catesby himself Rookwood Grant and divers others of greatest account among them were thereby made unable for defence but also wonderfully strucken with amasement in their guilty consciences calling to memory how God had justly punished them with that same instrument which they should have used for the effectuating of so great a sin according to the old Latine saying In quo peccamus in eodem plectimur as they presently sée the wonderfull power of Gods Iustice upon guilty consciences did all fall downe upon their knées praying God to pardon them for their bloody enterprise and thereafter giving over any further debate opened the gate suffered the Sheriffes people to rush in furiously among them and desperately sought their own present destruction the thrée specials of them joyning backes together Catesby Percy and Winter whereof two with one shot Catesby and Percy were slaine and the third Winter taken and saved alive And thus these resolute and high aspiring Catholiques who dreamed of no lesse then the destruction of Kings and Kingdomes and promised to themselves no lower estate then the government of great and ancient Monarchies were miserably defeated and quite overthrowne in an instant falling in the pit which they had prepared for others and so fulfilling that sentence which his Majesty did in a manner prophecy of them in his Oration to the Parliament some presently slaine others deadly wounded strippped of their clothes left lying miserably naked and so dying rather of cold than of the danger of their wounds and the rest that either were whole or but lightly hurt taken and led prisoners by the Sheriffe the ordinary Minister of Iustice to the Gaole the ordinary place even of the basest malefactors where they remained till their sending up to London being mèt with a huge confluence of people of all sorts desirous to sée them as the rarest sort of Monsters fooles to laugh at them women and children to wonder all the common people to gaze the wiser sort to satisfie their curiosity in séeing the outward cases of so unheard of a villany and generally all sorts of people to satiate and fill their eyes with the sight of them whom in their hearts they so far admired and detested serving so for a fearefull and publique spectacle of Gods flerce wrath and just indignation ¶ Anno III. Iacobi Regis An Act for a publique thankesgiving to Almighty God every yeare on the fifth day of November FOrasmuch as Almighty God hath in all ages shewed his power and mercy in the miraculous and gracious deliverance of his Church and in the protection of religious Kings and States and that no nation of the earth hath béen blessed with greater benefits then this kingdome now enjoyeth having the true and frée profession of the Gospell under our most soveraigne Lord King Iames the most great learned and religious King that ever raigned therein enriched with a most hopefull and plentifull progeny procéeding out of his royall loynes promising continuance of this happinesse and profession to all posterity the which many malignant and devillish Papists Iesuites and Seminary Priests much envying and fearing conspired most horibly when the Kings most excellent Majesty the Quéene the Prince and all the Lords spirituall and temporall and Commons should have béen assembled in the upper house of Parliament upon the fifth day of November in the yeare of our Lord 1605. suddenly to have blowne up the said whole house with Gun-powder an invention so inhumane barbarous and cruell as the like was never before heard of as was as some of the principall conspirators confesse purposely devised and concluded to be done in the said house that where sundry necessary and religious Lawes for preservation of the Church and State were made which they falsely and slanderously terme cruell Lawes enacted against them and their religion both place and persons should be all destroyed and blowne up at once which would have turned to the utter ruine of this whole kingdome had it not pleased Almighty God by inspiring the Kings most excellent Majestie with a Divine spirit to interpret some darke phrases of a letter shewed to his Majestie above and beyond all ordinary construction thereby miraculously discovering this hidden Treason not many houres before the appointed time for the execution thereof Therefore the Kings most excellent Majestie the Lords spirituall and temporall and all his Majesties faithfull and loving subjects do most justly acknowledge this great and infinite blessing to have procéeded méerly from God his great mercy and to his most holy name doe ascribe all honor glory and praise And to the end this unfeigned thankfulnesse may never be forgotten but be had in a perpetuall remembrance that all ages to come may yéeld praises to his Divine Majesty for the same and have in memory this joyfull day of deliverance Be it therefore enacted by the Kings most excellent Majesty the Lords spirituall and temporall and the Commons in this present Parliament assembled and by the authority of the same That all and singular Ministers in every Cathedrall and Parish Church or other usuall place for Common prayer within this Realm of England and the dominions of the same shall alwaies upon the fifth day of November say Morning prayer and give unto Almighty God thankes for this most happy Deliverance and that all and every person and persons inhabiting within this realme of England and the dominions of the same shall alwaies upon that day diligently and faithfully resort to the Parish Church or Chappell where the said morning Prayer Preaching or other service of God shall be used and then and there to abide orderly and soberly during the time of the said prayers preaching or other service of God there to be used and ministred And because all and every person may be put in minde of this duty and be the better prepared to the said holy service Be it enacted by authority aforesaid that every Minister shall give warning to his Partshioners publiquely in the Church at morning Prayer the Sunday before every such fifth day of November for the due observation of the said day And that after morning Prayer or preaching on the said fifth day of November they reade distinctly and plainly this present Act. God save the King ¶ A Prayer and Thankesgiving for the Anno 1611 happy deliverance of his Majesty the Queene the Prince and the States of Parliament c. ALmighty God who hast in all ages shewed thy power and mercy in the miraculous and gracious deliverances of thy Church and in the protection of righteous and religious Kings and States professing thy holy and eternall truth against the wicked conspiraâ—ies and malicious practises of all the enemies thereof we yéeld unto thée from the very ground of our hearts all possible praise and thankes for thy wonderfull and mighty deliverance of our gracious Soveraigne K.